The International Trade Commission (ITC) delivers recommendations for US Solar tariffs

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has delivered its recommendations for US Solar tariffs to the White House for a final decision. The President has until January 12^th, 2018 to decide, but he could do something as early as next week. Once the decision is executed, there are 15 days until the remedies go into place.

Recently, Greentech Media discussed the solar outlook under Section 201, given the recent recommendations. Here are a few highlights worth noting:

• 3 sets of recommendations were given for the White House to consider:
  • 2 of them are a combination of tariffs and product quotas
  • 1 of them is a hard quota for imported cells and modules
  • None of them suggest a price floor as was requested by the injured manufacturers – this was the most onerous possibility to the industry
• If the President decides to move forward with any of these recommendations as-is, it would result in about a $0.10/Watt tariff, which is estimated to reduce the cumulative US solar installed capacity by just under 10% of the base-case estimate of no tariffs. Again, this means a strong industry going forward.
• President Trump can decide to implement any remedy he wants, including tariff levels that differ from these recommendations.
• Some countries are exempt, which means there will be a market for exempt modules (also other non-silicon-based PV technologies)

Despite the current uncertainty, Ulteig is ready to support your development and design needs through:

• Preliminary development and plant optimization services
• Turnkey solar plant design or BOS design
• Medium to high voltage electrical and civil engineering design
  • Substation
  • Collection
  • Transmission
  • Interconnection
• Program or Project Management
• Field services
  • Inspection
  • Testing and Commissioning
  • Construction Management oversight

The solar market has been competitive for years and, with the current administration favoring tariffs, there is an even greater need to select the right partner. The Ulteig Solar Team has the developer and owner/operator experience to recommend the right solutions to win in a competitive marketplace. Contact Ulteig today to discuss how we can apply our expertise to your next solar project.